Time

You are here

Fire at Pemex Tanker in Gulf of Mexico

A fire broke out on an oil tanker of Mexican state oil company Pemex in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, forcing all the crew to be evacuated in the latest accident to plague the struggling firm. The blaze on the tanker occurred off the coast of Boca del Rio in Veracruz state and all the crew were safe, Pemex informed Reuters. Mexico's Navy noted there were 31 crew members and that all had returned to port. Early on Saturday evening, Pemex said firefighting teams were still working to put out the blaze. The tanker was carrying 80,000 barrels of diesel and 70,000 barrels of gasoline. The fire follows a series of other mishaps at Pemex, which is coping with major losses, increased competition at home, sharp budget cuts and lower revenue due to the oil price rout. A 2015 fire at a Pemex platform in the Bay of Campeche affected oil output and cost the company up to $780 million.